Brunch and Henley Royal Regatta

In England some happenings are bigger than others. The Ascot’s, Goodwood and Henley Royal Regatta are a few of those, and so far I have only been to Henley.

Last year we had a picnic with friends there, but in the afternoon so many people arrived that we no longer could see the river although we were meters from it.

To avoid such nuisance we bought tickets to the Regatta enclosure, and this is (at least for us) the way forward. When we ventured out of the enclosure to look at the shops etc., it was too many prople everywhere.

Malin and Martin, Jess and Chris and us, started the dat with a brunch at our flat. We had champagne, scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, croissants, mini quiches, blueberry muffins, bread, ham and cheese and things. It was a lovely start to the day and we all enjoyed it. But then again, who does not enjoy champagne?!

To brighten up the train journey out of London we had some more bubbly, then we switched to Pimm’s at the regatta. I love events like these, when you sit by the river, watching fit men row, looking around at all the pretty (and some horrible ones) dresses, Panamas and stripy blazers.

We enjoyed the early evening best though. When the serious people started to leave and the party crowd had not yet arrived. It was quiter and we could sit front row watching the rowing.

When the enclosure closed, we walked over the bridge into the village and had a nice meal. We must have been very lucky, walking in the six of us and managed to get a table!

Back at the train station, it was mayhem. There had been an accident on the tracks and several hundred people were fighting over the few taxis. Jess managed to find us one, and waiting for it we escaped the chaos and had a drink in a pub.

It was a perfect day with nice, but not too warm, weather and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Thanks guys!

Perfectly creamy scrambled eggs, serves six on a buffet

6-8 eggs

100 ml single cream

knob of butter

salt and pepper after taste

Heat up a teflon frying pan or sauté pan on medium heat. Add the butter. Beat the eggs with cream and season. Pour into the pan and lower the temperature. Stir the whole time with a wooden fork or a spatula, and watch the eggs slowly thicken. Remove from heat when a bit undercooked and keep stirring. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

Mini-quiches with Saint Agure and leek, 12 stycken

80 g softened butter

200 ml plain flour

1/3 beaten egg

100 g Saint Agure in cubes

10 cm leek, sliced

2 + 2/3 eggs (left over form the dough making)

300 ml cream

100 ml grated cheese

Mix butter, eggs and flour to a dough. Line 12 aluminium cases with it. Place blue cheese and leeks in the pastry cases. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Mix eggs and cream, season with salt and pepper and divide between the cases. Bake in 200C for 20 minutes. Serve cold, luke warm och warm.

Blueberry muffins with almonds and lemon, makes 12

Oroginal Swedish recipe here. I made mine into larger muffins than the recipe suggests.

200 ml blueberries

125 g melted butter

150 g ground almonds

1 tbsp lemon zest

400 ml icing sugar

80 ml plain flour

5 eggwhites (about 160-170 ml)

Mix almonds, zest, icing sugar and flour in a bowl. Add the egg whites and mix. Add the melted butter and mix thoroughly. Place a few berries in each cake case, divide the mixture between the cake cases (fill them to 2/3). Bake in 200 C for about 15-20 minutes.  

England: Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire id the country where my boyfriend grew up and we stopped by there on the countryside tour, so my parents could meet his mother Eileen.

We stopped by Eton and Windsor, which you can walk between. Eton is where the famous boy’s school is and it is quite fun to see the pupils walking around the village in their school uniform, tails. It was Easter when we were there though, so no pupils in sight.

Windsor is known mainly for the castle, but we didn’t have time to go in. The town itself is quite cosy to walk around in though.

In the evening we went to the old nice pub Royal Standard (which I have written about before) for dinner. We had forgotten how big portions they serve so after a starter and main each there were just no way we could eat dessert.

All three Swedes chose the garlic prawns, which were messy but yummy.

Christopher tried the French onion soup with beef and bacon stock which was delicious.

Eileen had the goat’s cheese salad as a starter, and I had the same, but a larger version, for my maincourse.

We were there on a Sunday so everyone else had the Sunday roast. Either pork or lamb, but they had the option of chicken and beef too. It was a large portion with all the traditional trimmings.

Castle Combe

Could it be more picturesque than this? I don’t think so… On Sunday morning we drove to Castle Combe not far from Bath mainly because a colleague had recommended it. She said that it was voted the most picturesque village in Britain and that Oliver! had been filmed there. After having done some research I realise she was mistaken and meant Dr Doolittle. But still. Well worth visiting!

It is an absolutely lovely little village. The oldest parts of it dates back to the Middle Ages, there is a nice manor house, a Michelin star restaurant and lots of walking trails around. I have to go back for a long weekend!

England: The New Forest

The New Forest is a National Park not far from Southampton, and even though I have friends in the area and a colleague who has a house there, I didn’t know what to expect from our visit there.

We drove over a cattle grid and had entered the park and the leafy trees disappeared and were substituted with a moor full of yellow flowering bushes (cytisus I think), and wild horses a plenty. Although the leafy trees returned further in.

Yes, wild horses. I had no idea horses (and cows and donkeys(!)) were running wild in Britain. Then I would have gone there sooner!

The area also has a few marinas and a cute town called Lymington. But The New Forest is mainly known for the main attraction: Beaulieu.

Beaulieu is a nice old village and home to Britain’s largest motor museum, and of course my dad wanted to come here.

The museum is in a large park which belongs to the manor and abbey in Beaulieu and you can visit all the different attractions on the same ticket.

England: Beautiful Bath

Bath has been on my to-visit-list for a while, and after being there for a few hours I would like to go back for a weekend. The city is beautiful, old and cosy and there is plenty to see and do.

We went in to the cathedral very briefly because we noticed they had a sermon on and let tourists walk aroun at the same time. I am not exactly religious, but it felt wrong walking around taking pictures when a vicar talked to the few people seated in the benches. Right next to the cathedral are the Roman baths that Bath is known for. It was incredible to see, and the hot spring is still there. The museum seemed newly refurbished and was very educational and well-planned.

We also had coffee and pastries, had a quick look around the shop in the Jane Austen museum and had a look at the Circus, which is three houses built in a circle, and the Royal Crescent which is a crescent-shaped street. Very pretty!

England: Chapel Down

The English vineyard Chapel Down is situated among rapeseed fields in the southwest corner of England – Kent. At the vineyard they sell their wines as well as other local products, i.e. cider, preserves and crackers.

They also provided maps of the grounds so we could go for a walk around the vines and the herb garden before we left to find our b&b, get changed and come back again for supper at their restaurant: Richard Phillips at Chapel Down.

The restaurant is on the first floor (above the shop) with its own entrance. It had a cosy feel to it and a band played music all through the evening. You could choose between the simpler music menu or the a’la carte. We chose the latter since the music menu seemed a bit dull in comparison.

Christopher chose their amazing platter as a starter with charcuteries, baked brie (have to try this at home), chutneys and pickles.

Mum and dad both tried the crab and crayfish tian with deepfried cauliflower and enjoyed it very much.

I chose mixed mushrooms on toasted brioche with a fried duck’s egg, and apart from the seasoning it was very nice. I desperately needed salt and it tasted a lot better when I adjusted the seasoning.

Dad opted for the beef with blue cheese dauphinoise potatoes which was lovely. Christopher went for the rabbit which was nice but a little dry while mother and I chose fish; seabass with herb gnocchi and asparagus.

It was nice but didn’t feel like a dish, it was more different things that didn’t really come together. And we needed sauce. Fish needs sauce.

Edit: My friend Gaby commented: What about the wine? And rightly so. Christopher had the red Trinity which was really nice and complemented his rabbit. Mother and I went for the white Bacchus Reserve and found it a bit unusual. It seemed like it was slightly sparkling in itself I still haven’t made up my mind if I liked it or not. We bought a bottle of the Bacchus (not Bacchus Reserve) and when we have opened it, I will let you know how that is in comparison.

England: Kent

We’re back in London now and mum and dad are on the plane back to Southern Sweden (although they land in Denmark..). We have really enjoyed our mini break and it has been lovely to explore the UK together. The weather has been fantastic; clear blue sky, warming sunshine and over 25C most days. Love it!

We started our tour in Kent, where the first stop was cosy Royal Tunbridge Wells before we continued to Tenterden and Chapel Down (will write about it separetly). On the second day we went to beautiful Sissinghurst, a garden my mother has talked about for at least ten years. She was as happy as a child at Christmas when we were there, and it sure was a beautiful garden.

Barbeque in the sun

When one lives in a flat without either balcony or patio one is extremly happy when friends invite one over for a barbecue a sunny Sunday in April.

It was certainly perfect barbecue weather yesterday, and while our friends Ian and Anna prepared the lunch, Christopher and I got the hard task of sitting in the sun sipping wine.

It was a great lunch that consisted of many goodies; homemade sausage rolls, chipolatas, homemade burgers, marinated lamb, new potatoes, potato salad with egg and gherkins, salad and homemade trifle for dessert.

Thank you! We certainly enjoyed it!

Pub lunch in the country

We ventured out to Buckinghamshire, were Chistopher is from, this weekend, roughly between London and Oxford. It doesn’t take long to get there, but the difference from the city is enormous. It is quieter, fresher air and a different pace. Exactly what we came for!

We met up with Ian and Anna to have a proper pub lunch at the The Royal Standard in Forty Green, one of those really English pubs and one of the oldest in the country.

There is plenty of woods and fields around the pub and outside there are plenty of benches to rest your legs on after a walk, and a few dogs are running around while their owner is enjoying a pint.

When you open the door you can’t help but notice the plaque on the door for the best pub of 2009. If you’re tall you might have to bend down to enter this old pub, but that is part of its charm. The bar is situated to the left and the kitchen is behind it, so straight ahead and to the right there are plenty of tables. The furniture is charmingly mismatched and worn. There is a fire going in the fire place and the heating is on too, so before you’ve had a chance to try the beer your cheeks are red. There are some dogs also inside and plenty of people around half one when we get here. We are lucky though an get a nice table in a cosy alcove almost immediately.

The menu doesn’t look very grand, it is just a printed sheet of A4, but there is plenty of hearty dishes to chose from. There are also some funny names, like Midsomer Murder resurrection pie, a nod to the series that have been filmed around here as well as other places.

We start with a drink and look at the menu, and after a bit of ambivalence we have finally decided. Even though Anna warns me for huge portions, I order both a Welsh rarebit and a side of chips. I mean, how huge can they be?! Ahem, enormous! The rarebit is two gigantic slices of bread, about two centimeters thick with plenty of cheese on top, and the side of chips is a whole soup bowl! Thankfully the boys have a good appetite and together we manage to clear all the plates.

Suet roll with bacon

Ian chose the homemade bangers with mash, that looks really good, and Christopher chose the rather old-fashioned suet roll with bacon. Anna ordered the Caesar salad and get a mountain of lettuce, bacon and chicken on her plate.

All the food is very good, and the portions very generous! It is nice hearty dishes prepared with love, and in this kind of environment, that is exactly what they should be serving. After the meal we went for a little walk which was much needed to digest the food. It was all in all a perfect Saturday in the country and in the evening I cooked a three-course meal in Christopher’s mother’s kitchen. What I made, I will show you tomorrow.

Picturesque Devon

It feels like longer ago, but it was only last week that Christopher and I went down to Devon for a few days to visit his grandmother. It was lovely to se the countryside, the sea, the woods and breath fresh air. I got to try the very English dessert trifle for the first time. Will try and make it myself soon, it was really tasty!

We ate enormous award-winning icecream cones in Sidmouth, with Ferrero Rocher and honeycomb flabvour. Yu-um!

We bought some cheese and chutneys at the farmers market in the grandmothers village. It was pouring down with rain so thankfully it was hel inside. The Sombrero cheddar was absolutely lovely, can’t wait to have it with enchiladas or fajitas or maybe just melted over nachos.

When we saw a fudgeshop we just had to buy some fudge, chocolate, clotted cream vanilla and butterscoth.

It is pretty isn’t it?! It was great to explore more of my new country and I highly recommend a trip to Devon.  It is mostly as picturesque as one thinks, but of course there are a few exceptions.

I love London and have visited a few other places around the UK, but I want to see more. The countryside is so beautiful and the people so friendly.